1. Biology COE Updates 2016-17 School Year
Except where otherwise noted, this work by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is available under a Creative Commons Attribution License
Biology COE Updates School Year
Welcome. This is Amy Viveiros at OSPI. This presentation focuses on Biology COE updates for the school year.
August 2016

2. Topics to be Covered 2015 Legislation
Who takes the Biology End-of-Course exam
Certificate of Academic Achievement Alternatives
Biology COE website
Change to the number of Biology COE tasks
Submission Calendar
Suggestions for the Classroom
OSPI Resources
Testing Environment
Lessons Learned
Semester At-A-Glance
Stay Informed and Get Involved
Contact Information
This presentation covers the topics listed on this slide. The first topics are the 2015 legislation, who takes the Biology EOC and what the other CAA alternatives are. Then there is change in the number of Biology COE tasks and the submission calendar. The next topics cover the nuts-and-bolts of suggestions for classrooms, resources, testing environment, lessons learned, and suggestions for a semester class. Finally, there are suggestions for staying informed and getting involved, as well as whom to contact for more information.
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/2/2016

3. 2015 Legislative Session: SB 6145
Summary of Bill:
Legislative intent delayed for two years (more specifically, two graduating cohorts), but did not eliminate, the high school graduation requirement of meeting the state standard on the high school science assessment.
Delayed requirement impacted Class of 2015 (retroactively) and Class of 2016 students (no longer necessary for these student to pass a state science assessment to graduate).
Beginning with the Class of 2017, students must meet standard on a state science assessment, or approved alternative, to graduate from high school.
In 2015, the legislature passed SB 6145 which delayed but did not eliminate the science graduation requirement. The bill delayed the requirement for the Classes of 2015 and 2016, but reinstated the science graduation requirement for the Classes of 2017 and beyond.
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/2/2016

4. Biology End-of-Course (EOC) Exam
Who takes the biology EOC?
Effective Graduation Requirement: Class of 2017 and beyond
Winter (January/February) 2017
Students (class of 2017+) who took EOC previously and did not meet standard
Students (class of 2017+) completing a biology course mid-year
Spring 2017
Students in the class of 2017 who have not yet met standard
Any student (class of 2018+) enrolled in a high school level biology course
All 10th graders who have not yet met standard
Meets the high school science testing requirement for NCLB
So who takes the Biology EOC? The Biology End of Course Exam is available in the winter of 2017 to students in the Class of 2017 and beyond who have taken the EOC but did not meet standard OR students who are completing a biology course in the middle of the school year. The Biology End of Course Exam will given again in the spring of 2017 to students in the Class of 2017 who have already taken the EOC but did not meet standard AND to all students currently enrolled in a high school level biology course AND to all 10th graders who have not yet met standard, which satisfies the high school testing requirement for No Child Left Behind.
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/2/2016

5. CAA Alternatives – Science Requirement
Biology Collection of Evidence (COE)
ACT— A score of 16 or higher on the science portion of the ACT.
Advanced Placement (AP) score of 3 or higher:
Biology, Physics, Chemistry, or Environmental Sciences
International Baccalaureate(IB) score of 4 or higher:
Biology, Physics, Chemistry
GPA comparison
For more information:
Because the HS biology test is a graduation requirement, there are several alternatives that will also meet the science graduation requirement. This slide shows the alternatives….READ THEM UNTIL “There is also a process of GPA comparison. For more information on all of these alternatives, please go to the URL shown at the bottom of this slide.
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/2/2016

6. Biology COE Website http://www.coe.k12.wa.us/Page/306
This is a screenshot of the main Biology COE webpage, hosted on the COE website. The Biology COE webpages contain a wealth of information on guidelines, tasks, administration, scoring, and lessons learned. There is also a link to the Biology COE moodle. The Admin Info and Guidelines tabs to the left of Biology lead to COE webpages which contain much more information about all the COEs. The Create a COE and Training tabs to the right of Mathematics contain even more information. Please explore the entire website to learn more and answer most of your questions.
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/2/2016

7. Change to the Biology COE
A student submitting a biology collection of evidence for the first time will submit exactly 6 tasks rather than 6 to 8.
The biggest change to the Biology COE is that only 6 tasks are required for first time submissions.
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/2/2016

8. Submission Calendar Date Event January 25, 2017
January COE Submission deadline: Class of 2017 and beyond
March 20 - April 7, 2017
Biology Scoring
April 14, 2017
Scores released on WAMS
June 7, 2017
June COE Submission deadline:
Class of 2017 and beyond
July 24 - August 11, 2017
August 25, 2017
This slide contains the submission calendar. Collections submitted by the January deadline will be scored in March and April and scores will be released on WAMS on April 14. Collections submitted by the June deadline will be scored in July and August and scores will be released on WAMS on August 25.
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/2/2016

9. Suggestions for the Classroom
Assign biology tasks to your COE students in the online system (eCOE). Make sure the combination of tasks meets sufficiency rules.
See
Many teachers start a task as “on-demand.” A task can be switched to “extended-time” if a student wants to make revisions and improvements within the task.
Teach to the Washington State 2009 K-12 Science Learning Standards in a variety of contexts.
See
Teach the academic and general vocabulary associated with the standards and tasks.
Use the OSPI Resources listed on the next slide.
This slide lists some suggestions for the classroom. There are other suggestions from teachers in the “Strategies for success” document on the Biology COE moodle. COE teachers should become familiar with the on-demand and extended-time and strand requirements described on the Biology COE website and moodle. More resources are listed on the next slide.
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/2/2016

10. OSPI Resources
Biology COE Sample Tasks (
These tasks include background information, student pages with the task scenario and items, and teacher pages with the rubrics.
Salmonberry Habitats
The Moths and the Trees
Science Short-Answer Scoring Trainings (
Video presentations showing how student responses are scored using rubrics for Biology EOC/COE and Science MSP
Biology COE Moodle (
This site contains up-to-date information about the COE, a forum for networking educators across the state, links, resources, and instructional tasks to download. 
Science Assessment Website (
This slide shows some of the resources available on the OSPI website. In addition to the two sample tasks listed, any of the EOC released items can be used for practice because both the COE and EOC are written to the same 2009 science standards. The scoring trainings give an idea of how student responses are scored.
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/2/2016

11. Testing Environment
All student work on the Biology COE is submitted in the eCOE under the supervision of an educator.
Original diagrams (optional) on paper are submitted via mail.
Be sure to follow the guidelines for appropriate teacher assistance on the COE tasks (
COE tasks are secure test items. COE tasks are administered in an “EOC-like” testing environment. See pages 1-17 in the Test Administration Manual for End-Of-Course Mathematics and Biology available on the WCAP Portal ( for guidance.
Access to the internet must be restricted. This includes all computers and cell phones.
Collections that include any responses that are not the work of an individual student will be invalidated.
This slide covers important points about the COE testing environment. The Biology COE is a secure test. All work must be completed under the supervision of an educator and all work is submitted online, except for any diagrams which must be mailed to the scoring center. Diagrams are optional and not required. Be sure to administer the COE as a secure test: follow the guidelines given on the COE website and in the Test Administration Manual on the WCAP portal. As with any secure test, no internet, no cell phones, no student collaboration, no class notes.
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/2/2016

12. Lessons Learned
In the classroom and during testing, encourage students to:
Read each question fully and carefully.
Answer each question in the context provided in the task, e.g., Yellowstone National Park.
Respond to each part of the question.
Avoid using pronouns.
Label diagrams. Diagrams without labels are considered drawings, and are not scored.
More Lessons Learned are posted at:
This slide shows a few of the lessons learned, which are familiar to all good teachers: read questions carefully, be sure to completely answer the question that is asked, and communicate clearly with nouns and well-labeled diagrams. As shown at the bottom of the slide, more lessons learned are posted on the Biology COE website.
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/2/2016

13. Possible Semester At-a-Glance
Teach one or more content standards.
Check for understanding.
Using the online system (eCOE), open access to selected items in tasks that address the content standard that was just taught.
Allow students to answer those items in a secure testing environment.
Review student responses in the eCOE system.
Use student responses to decide whether to move on to a new content standard, or to reteach.
Students revise responses with minimal teacher feedback – but only in extended-time tasks.
Continue this process until all six tasks are complete.
This slide shows a recap of how a semester COE class could be structured. THEN BASICALLY READ THE BULLETS.
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/2/2016

14. Stay Informed and Get Involved
Sign up for updates
Go to the Subscribe page for updates /new
Enter your address. On the Subscriptions page, select Content Areas > Science, then select the grade band(s) for which you would like to receive information.
Check calendar posted at:
Stay informed with updates. The first bullet on this slide describes how to sign up for updates. Get involved with professional development activities, which are found at the URL given at the bottom of this slide.
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/2/2016

15. Please consult your DC before reaching out to other COE contacts.
Except where otherwise noted, this work by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is available under a Creative Commons Attribution License
COE Contacts
Amy Viveiros
Biology COE Specialist
(360)
Lindsey Bullough
Graduation Alternatives Assessment Specialist
(360)
Cindy Jouper, ESD 113
COE Program Director
(360)
Fax: (360)
District Coordinators (DCs) are the primary point of contact for school district personnel with inquiries regarding COE.
Please consult your DC before reaching out to other COE contacts.
If you have questions, your District Coordinator is the first person to go to for answers. If there are questions about science content that your DC is unable to answer, contact Amy Viveiros. If there are questions about graduation alternatives that your DC is unable to answer, contact Lindsey Bullough. If there are questions about technical support that your DC is unable to answer, contact the ESD113 staff.
Thank you for listening. We wish you all the best with your collections of evidence this year.
Except where otherwise noted, this work by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is available under a Creative Commons Attribution License
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
9/2/2016